Therese: A Radical Love
St. Therese, whose feast we celebrate today, is unarguably
one of the most popular and influential saints in the Catholic Church
today. Her book Story of a Soul has sold millions of copies; many books, movies,
and talks have been based on her life; and miracles attributed to her
intercession happen to this day.
Yet, it’s almost unbelievable that her life could have produced this sanctity. She grew up in a common family, and her mother died when Therese was four. This trial influenced her childhood tremendously, and many would have been put off by her abundant crying, weak ego, and scrupulosity. When she was fifteen, she incessantly asked to enter the Carmel convent, and though she was told she couldn’t enter until she was eighteen, she went all the way to the Pope to beg for her entrance! Once she did enter, she struggled with many tasks she was asked to do, and nothing really set her apart from the other sisters. She died, unknown to the world, at the age of 24, and it could have been predicted that her memory would fade away.
In all of this, however, there was something truly different about her life: her radical reliance on grace and complete trust in God’s love. Her biography obviously extends much beyond the above paragraph, and I encourage you to discover more about her incredible life. (One book I heartily recommend is Shirt of Flame by Heather King.)
What have I often thought about sanctity? “There’s plenty of great saints out there who have done incredible things, but they also had incredible gifts from God. Sure, I have gifts that I’m doing my best to use, but surely I’ll never reach the level of the great saints.”
Therese took this to the other extreme. She recognized that her life was ordinary, small, and fragile. Yet, she saw Jesus, the Incarnation (God-became-man), who made himself weak and ordinary to save the world. He did not go to the strong in this world but to the small: the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the weeping women, the impoverished, fishermen, lepers, etc. Therefore, in our saint’s reasoning, to receive God’s love requires not to be big and self-sufficient but little and begging for mercy. Therese received God’s ever-abundant love to the infinite maximum, and her heart is still exploding with her desire to spread this love to all nations.
There’s certainly so much more I could say about Therese, but I’ll simply keep it to this: throughout these past three years of seminary, Therese has truly become a spiritual sister for me. When I’m caught up in my perfectionism and pride, she gently lowers me to a position of humility and receptiveness. When I worry about what the future will bring, she reminds me that God’s grace will remain abundant at all times. When I compare myself to others, she reassures me that every one of God’s flowers is truly beautiful. When I am lost in loneliness, she lets me know that I am never alone, that she and all the saints in heaven desire to be with me.
Therese shows us that we are all infinitely loved; to remain little in God’s powerful yet tender arms is the universal call to sainthood.
Yet, it’s almost unbelievable that her life could have produced this sanctity. She grew up in a common family, and her mother died when Therese was four. This trial influenced her childhood tremendously, and many would have been put off by her abundant crying, weak ego, and scrupulosity. When she was fifteen, she incessantly asked to enter the Carmel convent, and though she was told she couldn’t enter until she was eighteen, she went all the way to the Pope to beg for her entrance! Once she did enter, she struggled with many tasks she was asked to do, and nothing really set her apart from the other sisters. She died, unknown to the world, at the age of 24, and it could have been predicted that her memory would fade away.
In all of this, however, there was something truly different about her life: her radical reliance on grace and complete trust in God’s love. Her biography obviously extends much beyond the above paragraph, and I encourage you to discover more about her incredible life. (One book I heartily recommend is Shirt of Flame by Heather King.)
What have I often thought about sanctity? “There’s plenty of great saints out there who have done incredible things, but they also had incredible gifts from God. Sure, I have gifts that I’m doing my best to use, but surely I’ll never reach the level of the great saints.”
Therese took this to the other extreme. She recognized that her life was ordinary, small, and fragile. Yet, she saw Jesus, the Incarnation (God-became-man), who made himself weak and ordinary to save the world. He did not go to the strong in this world but to the small: the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the weeping women, the impoverished, fishermen, lepers, etc. Therefore, in our saint’s reasoning, to receive God’s love requires not to be big and self-sufficient but little and begging for mercy. Therese received God’s ever-abundant love to the infinite maximum, and her heart is still exploding with her desire to spread this love to all nations.
There’s certainly so much more I could say about Therese, but I’ll simply keep it to this: throughout these past three years of seminary, Therese has truly become a spiritual sister for me. When I’m caught up in my perfectionism and pride, she gently lowers me to a position of humility and receptiveness. When I worry about what the future will bring, she reminds me that God’s grace will remain abundant at all times. When I compare myself to others, she reassures me that every one of God’s flowers is truly beautiful. When I am lost in loneliness, she lets me know that I am never alone, that she and all the saints in heaven desire to be with me.
Therese shows us that we are all infinitely loved; to remain little in God’s powerful yet tender arms is the universal call to sainthood.
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